


Destiny is a pain in the ass.

by Elit3



Category: The Witcher (TV)
Genre: Episode: s01e06 Rare Species, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Jaskier | Dandelion, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Protective Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-08
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:48:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22173559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elit3/pseuds/Elit3
Summary: It's been 6 months since Geralt saw Jaskier. After Geralt receives a letter saying that Jaskier is being held captive, Geralt will do anything to free the bard.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 21
Kudos: 256





	Destiny is a pain in the ass.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I finished the witcher and i just couldn't stop thinking about this two. So here we are. I hope you will like it.

If you ask Geralt of Rivia about destiny, you will have a lot of chance to don't have any answer or a grunt but if you are lucky, he will tell you that destiny is a pain in the ass. 

It's been 6 months since he saw Jaskier, the young man did what Geralt wanted and left him. At first, the witcher was happy with this, he was finally released from the bard. But then, Geralt finds himself whistling the bard's songs, missing his chatter, so as not to had with him someone who was not afraid of him. Jaskier was not his friend but maybe ... maybe he could have been something else, something more. But the witcher was not going to apologize for yelling at the smallest man. He hopes that one day he would saw him again - in danger because the guy is always in trouble - and Geralt would had shown him that he regrets what he said in his own way.

For once in his life, Geralt regrets being right. Jaskier was in danger, but not in the same danger as the witcher thought. He thought he should save him from an angry husband or maybe a monster. So when he got a letter saying, "I have your little pet. If you want to save him, come to the tavern three days from where you are. Maybe you will like to come as quickly as possible because your little bard has such a beautiful voice, especially when I make him shout. When Geralt finished reading the letter, he didn't take the time to explain to the innkeeper why he was leaving suddenly, he got on Roach and asked him to gallop as fast as he can. No matter who wrote this letter, no matter who tortures Jaskier or why, because they will die slowly and painfully.

Obviously, life is not that simple. First Geralt must arrive at the village, he had planned to do it in two days but on the way he had been attacked by monsters who delayed him. So, instead of arriving in the village in two or three days, he arrived there in four days. Geralt will forever regret if he finds Jaskier dead because it was too late, too slow.

Fortunately, he easily finds the tavern. It only took him 30 seconds to tie Roach and then went into the tavern. Before going to a table, he will ask the tavern keeper if he has seen someone with Jaskier's description in the village in recent weeks. The tavernier replied that there was a bard in the city two weeks ago, but he only stayed for two days and then left. Geralt knows that Jaskier would never have left a city after only two days or would have left mysteriously, but what marked Geralt most was the time that Jaskier went missing. In two weeks, a lot of bad things can happen. He goes to a table and he only has to wait five minutes before someone approaches him. The guy is tall and thick with a lot of muscles but not as tall and as thick as Geralt but a person like this guy can easily take the advantage in a fight against someone like Jaskier. The man wear a sword at his hip which shows that he is not that stupid. When Geralt see that he is holding a broken luth which is Jaskier's, he feel the rage burning inside him, not that the man can see it. He sit in the chair in front of the white wolf with a smile on his face.  
“-We were beginning to thought that you will never show up. 

Geralt look at the guy badly but don't answer. 

-Your pet will be happy to learn that you came finally. Not that he believed that you will come at all, You know? He tell us that it was useless for us to took him since you don't care about him but it look like you does. Even though you took your time for arrive but don't worry we took a good care of him.

\- He is not a pet but , your right, he is mine and I am going to kill you for touch him.

The man have the audacity to laugh. 

-Are you so sure about that? I mean it is us who have him, we've got something on you. If you kill me now, your pet is dead because they will kill him if they don't see me arrive in one hour. 

The witcher grunt at that. 

-Cut the shit, what do you want? 

His smile grow bigger

-That what you don't understand, we wan't nothing from you. Well.. that not the truth, tou can did something for us: die. That why we took the bard, we wanted him to told us yout weakness but i've give him that, he is loyal or stupid or maybe he don't know a shit. So we change our plan and contact you. 

-Hmm. 

This is not a good “hmm” trust me, at this moment the guy is lucky that Geralt don't have the ability to kill person with a look because he will be dead for a long time now. 

-Now, don't make this face witcher. Follow me I am going to lead you to your little bard.” 

Geralt know that it is a trap but he don't have the choice, Jaskier need him. He follow the man outside, the guy got on an horse and Geralt detached Roach and get ont it. He follow him through a forest, the white wolf stay on his guard during all the walk. Then they arrive in a plain with the rest of a tiny village that was destroyed long ago, now there is only the rest of old houses half destroyed. 

“- Your pet his in the last house in the basement, now come it is for the reunion. 

-Thank you. 

The man didn't understand why the witcher thanks him but when he turn back, he understand his mistake. There are in a plain where there are no place for hide, so there are no one oustide except them and now he just lost his only asset: the location of the bard. He didn't even get a chance to curse himself before he saw the witcher's sword fall on his neck. The human's head was thrown a few meters away and then his body collapsed to the ground.

-I've told you he is not a pet.” 

After that come the difficult part since Geralt don't how may they are – they can be two or ten for what he know – and he don't in which state he will find Jaskier. Now that the stupid man his dead, the white wolf know that he can't play it discretly, so after he attach Roach, he enter in the basement with his sword in his hand, ready to kill who ever will come in his way. He goes down the stairs which are old and creaking under his feet. He expects someone to pull his feet but nothing comes and he continues to descend. The cellar is deeper than he thought and once down the stairs, he is in the dark except for the light coming from the opening of the cellar. Good since the dark is no problem for him. Hardly after having walked 2 minutes when he arrives at the bottom of the cellar. At the farthest corner is a small form which, as Geralt can see, is not even attached and has no gag around the mouth. But he supposes that the ties are useless since the person's chest goes up and down much too slowly, without the light breath he hears and the shivers which cross the small body, he would have been sure that the shape was nothing more than a corpse. 

He rushes to the form knowing very well who he will find. He kneels down next to Jaskier thinking that the latter is asleep or unconscious but when he touches him, Jaskier starts and opens his eyes. At the beginning Geralt reads fear there in its purest form then sees the moment when the smallest recognizes him because the bard smiles at him but as quickly as it arrived the smile of Jaskier is gone. The young man tries to say something but the words remain blocked in his throat but with a lot of effort, he manages to stutter: "Be - Behind ..." Fortunately the witcher understood what he wanted to say because he silence him with one hand on his mouth and the other on his neck. He touched Jaskier as delicately as he could and to his delight Jaskier did not move away from him but it is on the contrary since he close up to the touch of Geralt who is happy to see that even if his body is surely broken , his mind is not.

Finally the white wolf drops the bard to turn to the men behind him. They are 3 in total, two tall men as tall as the man that Geralt beheaded and a smaller one. Without saying a word, the two biggest ones launched themselves on him. They may not be on the same level as Geralt in handling the sword, but they are good. The fight lasted 10 minutes, two against one, without any of the three taking the advantage of the fight until Geralt cut the hand of one of the men. He takes the opportunity to swing him against the wall and attacks the remaining man who alone does not match against him. Very quickly, the white wolf cuts his achile heel with a fluid stroke of the sword and then gives him a broad and deep notch in the stomach. The man falls to the ground emptying of his blood and Gerlat crushes his head with his right foot. In the meantime the man with the severed hand got up and succeeded in grabbing his sword but Geralt saw him and pushed the sword away from the man's hand and took the opportunity to pierce the lung of the man with his sword. So much for slow death and painful death.

He was so focused on the fight that he hadn't seen that the third had slipped toward the wall where Jaskier was standing. So when he returned to the end of the cellar, since during the fight he had moved away, Geralt cursed himself for his stupidity because now the third man holds Jaskier against his chest with a knife much too close to the throat of Dandelion.

“-The fight stop now, Witcher. Drop your sword and I won't slit his throat. Do it! Because since where you are, you will be to slow to stop from doying it. 

Geralt grunt to the guy. He try to think about a plan because he know that the man will kill Jaskier at the moment that he will a drop his sword. He could use magic but this could kill the Bard. 

\- What do you think honey? Will he drop his sword for save your worthless life?

The question is not meant for Geralt but for the Bard who didn't answer. 

-What do we told you, pet? He punch Jaskier in the stomach and smile toward Geralt. You talk when we ask you a question not before.” 

Jaskier opens his mouth as if to answer except that instead he bites deeply into the forearm of the man who is not far from his mouth. The astonished man lets go of the smallest man who falls to the ground. Now that Jaskier is out of danger, Geralt quickly advances towards the human and with an abrupt gesture ends his life.

Once all the men are dead - or dying - Geralt returns to Jaskier who fell to the ground when the man dropped him and hasn't moved since then. The witcher is relieved to see that Dandelion is alive. But Geralt know taht he cannot stay in the cellar any longer and knowing also that he will not be able to walk all alone, he passes an arm behind the young man's back and one behind his knees and lifts him out from the ground and away from the cellar. Geralt is surprised that the bard weighs practically nothing in his arms which is clearly a sign of poor nutrition.

Once outside, Jaskier makes a sound of discomfort probably due to the sun which he has not seen for two weeks and hides from the sun by putting his head in the hollow of the witcher's neck. When he arrives near Roach, he makes Jaskier climb on it while holding him with one hand on his hip, then takes out his cape from one of his bags to put it around the young man in order to stop the tremors. Roach nods towards Jaskier and Gerlat just tells him "he's hurt". Finally he slides behind the bard and holds it against his chest, then he make gallops Roach as quickly as possible towards the village.

When Geralt, Jaskier and Roach arrive to the village after 20 minutes of race, an old man was already waiting for them. He beckons the witcher to come to him and once that Geralt his close enough to him, the old man present himself as the doctor of the village. In the way to his house he explain to the witcher that he saw him leave with one of the brother Russo and knew that he will came back to the village with the bard who was here two weeks ago. Geralt gets out of Roach and catches up with Jaskier before he falls without the witcher to support him. The old man -James - brings him into the house and into a room prepared for medical attention. In the room there is a young woman -Marianne - waiting for them and James tells her to put Jaskier on the bed. 

He lays the young man as gently as he can on the bed. 

“- Before I can treat him, we will have to clean it to prevent any risk of infection and so I will see better the wounds. 

Geralt nodded in understanding. 

-I will take care of his legs, Witcher you will do the top of his body and Marianne will do his head.”

All three began to work silently, each focused on cleaning Jaskier as cleanly and gently as possible. The more Geralt cleans the little man, the more he is disgusted by what he sees and furious at the men. Under the grime that covers Jaskier, there are many more or less developed blues, burns of all kinds and abrasions of different sizes and depths.  
Then it passes to the ribs that are far too visible, they are prominent and Geralt can see that at least three are broken or cracked. He can also see that the right clavicle of the human is broken. Then he cleans the left arm which is in relatively good condition with only some scratch ings and some burn and then passes to the right arm. This one is in a worse state with the two of Jaskier's fingers who are in a bad position. Once Gueralt has finished the water of the bucket is no longer transparent but brown and red.  
Meanwhile, Marianne had finished cleaning the face of Jaskier who is practically unscathed except for some scratching. But Jaskier's lips are a little too blue and too gersed for Geralt's taste. Marianne also had time to put a bandage around the bard's neck.  
James meanwhile has arrived at the same point as Gerlat, that is to say that he has just cleaned Jaskier's legs.

“-Marianne have you done? 

-Yes father, I have finish. He only has a few scratches on his face and I looked into his hair and there is no sign of a bump. However his lips show traces of strong dehydration and also on his neck there are two deep traces as if there was an iron necklace hanging on but a necklace that is far too tight. I treated and bandaged his neck.

-You've done a good job, Marianne. Now go to the aubergist and ask him to prepare something for us to eat, please. And then go to the carpenter and ask him to create a cane. 

Before the girl leave the room for do what her father told her, Geralt ask her to go to the tavern for grab Jaskier's luth and while she is at the carpenter ask him to fix it.

-And you Witcher, have you done?

\- Call me Geralt and yes I have done.

\- Good. Will you empty the buckets and filling two to bring them back you want? Meanwhile I am going to bandage your friend, I will call you to help me put some bones back in place.”

Geralt does what James asked him to do, he grabs the three buckets and goes out to empty them. He trusts James to take care of Jaskier. Outside, he easily finds the well then to fill the buckets, even if the old man only asked him for two, to give one to Roach to whom he gives food. Then the witcher comes back inside the house and deposits the buckets on the ground. Geralt was right to trust James since he has already bandaged both of Jaskier's feet and is sewing up some cuts that need to be sewn.

“-While you were gone, James begins without turning towards Geralt, I checked if the Russo brothers or their cousin had not touched your friend in a place where he should not have. And don't worry, they didn't. They will at least have left him with some semblance of dignity. Now, take the herbs that are on my desk and bandage the kid's burns.

Once again, Geralt did what James ask him to do but he still have some question to ask to the old man. 

-Why are you helping us? 

\- By guilt. My daughter and her husband danced on the song of your friend, I talked and laughed with him but yet when we saw one of the Russo brother offering him a beer we haven't done anything and we haven't done anything when we saw him leaved the tavern with them, we haven't done anything when two days later we heared them laughing about something the bard did. Don't got me wrong, Geralt, if I haven't help him it is not because I am coward but because I am old. If the rest of the village haven't help him it is because they are cowards. I help you now because it the least that I can do and also because you freed us from monsters whitout knowing what you was doing.

-Who where them? 

\- Old soldiers but they became mercenaries from what I hear. I am done for the cuts, if you are done with the burns, you will help me to put back is bones in their places.

The witcher nod his head when he have finish. 

\- We will start with his left knee. I can put it back but I will need you to hold him tight. Ok...1...2...3”

If Jaskier wasn't awake before he is now. When the doctor bring back Jaskier's knee in the rotula, the human got up suddendly. Geralt was taken by surprise but quickly pushed Jaskier against the mattress while James rolled up his knee with bandages. To his surprise Jaskier did not scream but on the contrary started to cry and when he recognized Geralt, he began to sob: "Please, Geralt, please, have him arrested it hurts too much, please. " Jaskier doesn't stop asking please to Geralt who was helpless. He then began to caress Jaskier's hair by passing him a cloth over his sweaty forehead while telling him "it's going to be ok Jaskier, it's soon over, I promise".  
Very quickly, James took Jaskier's right hand and quickly put his two fingers back in place without giving Jaskier time to understand what was happening to him. Which resulted in more crying from the bard, and then the doctor looked at Geralt to see if he could get his collarbone. The witcher made Jaskier look at him and when, five minutes later, he received a nod from the young man, he made one to the doctor who again quickly put the bone back in place.

“- All the bones are back to their original position and band. But now we will need to take care of his back. You saw like me the traces of whip on his back. 

The witcher grunt at the doctor because he wanted a pause for Jaskier. 

-I can give him a potion which make him sleep if you want. 

Geralt look at Jaskier who starte to wiggle in the bed. 

\- Please don't Geralt! I can take it, I promise but don't make me sleep.

\- Fine but before you dring something, if it is okay, doctor?”

As an answer the doctor give a glass of water to Jaskier but he couldn't take it with his right hand and his left one is shaking. Geralt take it for him and make him drink slowly. Once the glass is empty, Geralt sits across from Jaskier on the bed and gently takes him in his arms. In this position, the doctor has a good vision of the bard's back and Jaskier can rely, physically and mentally, on Geralt. Before starting, Jaskier hides his head in the hollow of Geralt's blow and clings with his left hand to the witcher's shirt. Finally the doctor begins to stitch up Jaskier's wounds that need it.

When Marianne returns accompanied by the innkeeper - her husband, Shawn - she finds her father cleaning his tools and the witcher sitting on the bed of the injured man observing him while the latter is unconscious. Shawn and Marianne give a plate to Geralt and James, the young woman places the last plate on the table. While they are eating, James make a reports on Jaskier injuries to Geralt:  
-Light hypothermia.  
-Lack of significant sleep.  
\- Significant dehydration and malnutrition.  
-Multiple blues everywhere, burns and cuts.  
\- Whip marks on the back.  
-Two broken fingers on the right hand, also the collarbone, four folded ribs and two broken.  
-Your friend also had to try to run away from them since his left knee is in a bad state as if someone had smashed him with a mass and he have burns and cuts under both feet.  
\- He has signs of restrictions on the ankles, hands and neck.  
-Finally he have fever from some cuts that were infected.

The more the list increases, the more the fury of Geralt increases. How dare they touch what is his !? If only they weren't dead …

“- Unfortunately it is not over witcher, this night will be decisive, if we want him to survive it will all have to be ready. Since he is unconscious we will have to give him to drink thanks to a towel that we will have to soak in water mixed with herbs to help him. Also we will have to fight against his fever by putting wet towels on his body, we will prepare a bath in case the towels are not enough.  
The three others nod their heads. 

\- I am going to search the water for the bath, first say Marianne.

\- I go back to the tavern for more towels, say Shawn. To night I have to work but I will make sure that the three of you receive some coffee and broth for Jaskier if it can help him even if he can't drink it you can do as with the water.

\- All right, go ahead. Once the two are gone, James turns to Geralt, goes to get firewood outside and starts a fire, the night will be cold.”

The night was indeed cold, but it was the least of Geralt's preoccupations. He stayed all night next to Jaskier, changing the towel on his forehead, stroking his face to let him know that he was not alone. When the witcher first touched Jaskier's cheek, he was afraid of hurting him since the line of his cheek was prominent, but on the contrary Geralt could swear he felt Jaskier move closer to his hand. With a towel he also gave him to drink every 30 minutes.  
Marianne changed the wet towels of Jaskier's coprs with Geralt's help. She watched the fire and went to fill the buckets when they were empty. From time to time she took over from Geralt at the jaskier's side.  
By early evening James had settled into his rocking chair, so he only got up there to check Jaskier's temperature and injuries when he was moaning in pain. He also prepared several tisane to give to the patient every hour.  
As promised Shawn make someone came with coffee every two hours and when the tavern was closed he came back for help the others.  
By three o'clock in the morning the situation had worsened for Jaskier, his fever was far too high and he was whispering iunderstandable things. The only words that could be distinguished was a name: "Geralt". James then asked Geralt to put Jaskier in the bathtub. The effect was immediate as the young man began to struggle and shout. He struggled so much that Shawn had to hold Jaskier's legs so he wouldn't hurt himself any more. They had to hold it for three minutes before the doctor decided that the fever was quite low. Geralt then took Jaskier out of the bathtub and took him back to the room where Marianne was waiting for him with blankets. They changed the bandages of Jaskier and James verifia that no wounds had opened. Eventually Jaskier was reinstalled in bed, still unconscious, with thick blankets covering his small shape. But Geralt's hand never left his own.

Jaskier remained unconscious for two days. During these two days, Geralt did not leave him, except for take care of Roach for a few minutes.  
When Jaskier woke up at the dawn of the third day, he was first afraid that it had all been a dream, that Geralt never actually came to save him. But then he felt the sun on his face, below him there was no cold, rocky floor but a comfortable bed and finally he couldn't feel any pain. Before opening his eyes, he can hear a slight noise coming from a more distant place, he can also smell a good smell and finally he feels something warm hold his left hand and something heavy near his side left.  
It takes the Bard another five minutes before deciding to open his eyes. Once it is done, he sees that he is definitely no longer in the cellar although he does not know where he is. The noises he heard came from a fairly round old man who was busy to a table. Finally, he looks down at his left hand to see her being held by another hand. The human hand is clearly much larger than his and it is also calloused. He follows his gaze to see a sleeping man on his knees near his bed who is leaning over the bed. What particularly attracts Jaskier's look are the white hair of the man, of Geralt. At first the bard got scared, but then he remembers what had happened but he also remembers having a fever so maybe it was an allucination due to fever? Unconsciously he pulled out his right hand - which has been bandaged and have two splints on his fingers - to touch Geralt's hair. To his delight, his hand did not go through the hallucination, so it was really the witcher sleeping near him. He unconsciously continues to play with Geralt's hair when he hears a voice.

“-He hasn't left you since he brought you here. Surprised Jaskier stops touching Geralt's hair. Your friend is the most stubborn man I have ever met, he refused to take a break even when I promised to stay with you.

-Yeah he can be like that. But … Who are you? Where I am? 

\- I am James, the doctor who take care of you and you are in my clinic, in the town you was two weeks ago

Jaskier nod his head which is unusual for him. 

-Now tell me, do you feel pain somewhere? 

\- For the first time since a long time I don't. Except that I am hungry.

-Good. It is normal, I am sure that you haven't eat something since a while. I am sorry to ask you that but I have to know, do you remember what's happen ? 

\- … Jaskier remote a bit and it's eyes opened in shock as if all of the events of a few days ago came back to his memory. I remember that too well. The tavern ... Russo N ° 1 ... the kidnapping ... the cellar ... the pain ... Geralt ... I remember it all.”

At the end of his speech Jaskier is shivering. So much that he woke up Geralt who got up suddenly, ready for all the dangers but instead he realizes that Jaskier is awake. Geralt look around to see that Jaskier is awaken up and shaking for one reason or another. He sits on the bed and puts his hands on Jaskier's cheeks, he makes him look at him. When Jaskier understood who was holding him, he collapsed on Geralt who can feel his shoulder getting wet, feeling Jasier trembling, hearing his sobs. He puts his arms around the little man and holds him tightly, whispering things that he hopes will be comforting. When Gerat promises never to leave him, Dandelion raised its head from its position on the shoulder of the witcher and asks in a small voice: "you promes me?". Geralt can't refuse anything from Jaskier when he looks so young, innocent, and vulnerable, and says, "I promise."

Obviously, their story did not end with a promise. It took Jaskier three weeks to recover from the torture he suffered. He had a lot of nightmares but strangely when Jaskier was in Geralt's arms, the nightmares disappeared. There were also many arguments, some discussions, the return of Jaskier's lute. Finally, Jaskier kissed Geralt without thinking and his two idiots realized they both loved each other. When Jaskier got back on their feet, they said goodbye to Shawn, Marianne and James and left. A few days later, in a tavern, a song could be heard a song from a knight who had saved his damsell in distress from four horrible dragons.

The road to love is a road full of pitfalls for Jaskier and Geralt, but fortunately fate makes it a point of honor to always make their routes converge and for this the witcher is eternally grateful to him.


End file.
